Compound anchor

ABSTRACT

A compound anchor and method for joining concrete parts is disclosed. The compound anchor has a rod-shaped anchor body and a compensator component, which has at least one deformable element and is situated to be movable at least axially in relation to the anchor body. A first section of the anchor body is accommodated in a first concrete part and a second section having the compensator component is accommodated in a second concrete part. Openings are formed in the concrete parts so that a blind hole is formed in the first concrete part and a through-opening is formed in the second concrete part. The first section of the anchor body is secured in the blind hole and the second section having the compensator part is in the through-opening. The through-opening is then filled with a cement so that the second section is secured in the second concrete part.

This application claims the priority of International Application No. PCT/EP2012/064074, filed Jul. 18, 2012, and German Patent Document No. 10 2011 085 058.9, filed Oct. 24, 2011, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a compound anchor for connecting concrete elements.

It is known that two or more concrete parts, in particular in the form of sheet-type components, may be joined together by means of compound anchors. Such a fastening method is used in assembly of railroad rails, for example, where a first concrete part on which the rails are mounted must be joined to a concrete substrate as the second concrete part. Compound anchors here act mainly to establish a connection with respect to lateral forces.

In its simplest form a compound anchor is a profiled rod which is joined to the two concrete parts in a physically bonded manner. The anchor may be concreted into the lower one of the concrete parts, for example, whereas a hole with a larger diameter than the compound anchor is provided in the upper second concrete part and is sealed with adhesive or mortar after the compound anchor has been inserted. This connection is completely rigid and does not leave the two concrete parts any freedom of movement relative to one another.

A certain freedom of movement may be desirable, however, to accommodate temperature-induced changes in length, for example.

The object of the invention is to create a simple compound anchor which permits a relative movement of two parts to be joined.

According to the invention, this is achieved with a compound anchor for joining concrete parts, wherein a rod-shaped anchor body and a compensator component are provided, having at least one deformable element and being disposed to be movable at least axially in relation to the anchor body, wherein a first section of the anchor body is provided for being accommodated in a first concrete part, and the second section having the compensator component is provided for being accommodated in a second concrete part. As with traditional compound anchors, a section, preferably the first axial end, of the compound anchor is firmly connected to the one concrete part, while a second section, preferably the second axial end, of the compound anchor is firmly connected to the second concrete part. However, the compensator component allows movement of the second concrete part with respect to the second section of the compound anchor, so that the two concrete parts can move relative to one another.

The freedom of movement is normally in the range of a few millimeters to a few centimeters.

The deformable element is preferably elastically deformable, so that the relative movement of the concrete parts with respect to one another may be repeated in principle as often as desired. For example, a traditional O-ring, e.g., made of NBR (nitrile rubber), as used for sealing in the construction field, may be used as the deformable element.

The compensator component is preferably disposed on an end section of the anchor body, where it can be installed with little effort.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compensator component contains a cap, which is placed on the end section of the anchor body. The deformable element may be disposed between the inside of the cap and the axial end of the anchor body.

The cap is advantageously made of a plastic in at least some sections. The cap itself may be designed to be flexible, so that it is deformable by manual force, for example. Thus the cap may contribute in part to the deformability and thus to the freedom of movement.

The compensator component is preferably attached to the anchor body so that the compound anchor can be handled and installed in one piece.

The compensator component may contain a sleeve which surrounds the second section of the anchor body in the circumferential direction as well as comprising at least one second deformable element disposed between the anchor body and the inside of the sleeve.

The second deformable element is preferably one or more polystyrene shells. Lateral movements can also be compensated with such a compound anchor.

The compensator component and the anchor body preferably have twist-proof mechanisms, so that twisting of the anchor body with respect to the sleeve and twisting of the sleeve with respect to the surrounding material are both essentially prevented. This can be achieved by means of a noncircular outside geometry of the sleeve, flattened regions or a polygonal cross section. It is possible in this way to ensure that there is always freedom of movement along the desired direction.

According to one possible embodiment, the anchor body has two opposing flattened regions which are in contact with the flat regions of the inside of the sleeve and thus form a twist-proof mechanism.

The sleeve may have a rectangular outside diameter so that the flat regions of the inside of the sleeve are formed by housing sections. Dynamic displacement forces are accommodated only in a transverse direction in this case, namely in a direction perpendicular to the flattened regions, whereas the compound anchor has a rigid design in the other transverse direction. This makes it possible to define a targeted direction of movement.

A deformable element may naturally also be provided in the second transverse direction. The deformable element may also completely surround the anchor body in the circumferential direction, so a round cross section of the anchor body is possible.

The cap described above is preferably attached to the sleeve. It is thus easy to combine an equalization of movement in the axial direction with that in the transverse direction. Any conventional means is suitable for fastening the cap to the sleeve. For example, the cap may be pressed into the sleeve. The cap may therefore be designed with a flexible circumferential wall and with clamping strips running around the circumference, as is the case with a known plastic plug. The inside of the sleeve may be provided with a complementary structure but may also have a smooth design.

The anchor body advantageously has one thread on each of two end sections. The anchor body may be a metal rod, for example, made of a suitable steel.

A method according to the invention for joining concrete parts provides for the following steps: forming openings in at least two concrete parts, such that a blind hole is formed in a first concrete part and a through-opening is formed in a second concrete part, wherein the through-opening becomes wider in the axial direction. A compound anchor such as that described above is introduced into the openings, so that the first section of the anchor body is secured in the blind hole, and the second section having the compensator component lies in the through-hole, the through-hole being filled with a cement, so that the second section is secured in the second concrete part.

Fixation of the first section may be accomplished, for example, by concreting, gluing, cementing or screwing in place.

To fill the through-opening, a suitable adhesive or a concrete may also be used.

Any further components such as plastic films may be disposed between the two concrete parts.

The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings on the basis of several specific embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of two concrete parts attached to one another with the compound anchors according to the invention, as well as detailed views of two compound anchors of different embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a compound anchor according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of a compound anchor according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an anchor body of a compound anchor from FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows the compound anchor from FIG. 2, positioned according to a method according to the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic sectional view through the module illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows the compound anchor from FIG. 3, positioned according to a method according to the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic sectional view through two compound anchors, as shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 shows a schematic sectional view along line X-X in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows two interconnected concrete parts, the first concrete part 10 in this case being formed by a concrete substrate in the form of a sheet and the second concrete part 12 being formed by a concrete sheet lying flatly on the former with two railroad rails 14 attached to it in the known way.

The two concrete parts 10, 12 are interconnected by a plurality of compound anchors 16.

The compound anchors 16 may of course also be used for securing any other concrete parts or parts made of another material.

The enlarged detail at the upper left of FIG. 1 shows the compound anchor 16 in the condition in which it is inserted into the concrete parts 10, 12.

The enlarged detail at the lower right of FIG. 1 shows a second embodiment of a compound anchor 116 which is indicated in the upper right section of the overview drawing at the center of FIG. 1.

In the first embodiment the compound anchor 16 comprises a cylindrical anchor body 18 (see also FIG. 2) having a thread 23 on both axial ends 20, 22. The anchor body 18 in these examples is made of a suitable steel material, for example, a stainless steel.

The lower axial end 20 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is embedded in the first concrete part 10 at the lower end. This embedding may be accomplished, for example, by casting in concrete, by gluing in place or also by screw connection and ensures a form-fitting connection between the anchor body 18 and the surrounding section of the first concrete part 10.

The compound anchor 16 has a compensator component 24 on the upper end 22 axially, which is designed and disposed to be movable relative to the anchor body 18 in the axial direction A.

In this example the compensator component 24 comprises a cap 26 made of plastic and a deformable element 28 situated between the cap 26 and the upper end 22 of the anchor body 18 axially. The deformable element in this example is designed as a traditional O-ring made of a suitable material, for example, NBR (nitrile rubber).

The cap 26 here is made of a plastic wherein the sheet-shaped cover part of the cap 26 is designed to be more stable than the surrounding peripheral wall of the cap 26 which is connected to the latter in one piece. On the whole, the cap 26 in particular the peripheral circumferential wall is designed to be flexible and deformable by manual force. The cap 26 is placed on the anchor body 18. It can be affixed to the anchor body 18 by adhesive bonding or by a form-fitting connection, so that it cannot be released inadvertently from the anchor body 18 before assembly. This allows the compound anchor 16 to be handled as a single component.

If the second axial end 22 is accommodated in the second concrete part 12 which is situated above the first concrete part 10, the compensator component 24 causes a certain axial freedom of movement of the two concrete components 10, 12 with respect to one another.

This is achieved by the fact that the cap 26 is movable by elastic compression of the deformable element 28 in the axial direction with respect to the anchor body 18. This requires that the anchor body 18 be accommodated in the second concrete part 12 so that it can be displaced axially with respect to the anchor body 18.

The compound anchor 16 is accommodated in the two concrete parts 10, 12 so that a first section 30, which here constitutes approximately half of the anchor body 18 in the axial direction, is accommodated in the first component 10 and a second section 32 comprising the remaining length of the anchor body 18 and the compensator component 24 is accommodated in the second component 12.

It is naturally also possible for additional parts, for example, plastic films or other concrete parts, to be disposed between the two concrete parts 10, 12.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show a compound anchor 116 according to the second embodiment.

The anchor body 18 has an identical design to the anchor body 18 of the first embodiment.

In contrast with the first embodiment, the compensator component 124 comprises, in addition to a cap 126 and a deformable element 128, a rectangular sleeve 150 which surrounds the second section 32 of the anchor body 18. The sleeve 150 in this example is formed by two L profiles welded together. The sleeve 150 is open at the axial ends.

A second deformable element 152 which in this example is formed by a polystyrene shell designed in a cup shape is disposed between the inside wall of the sleeve 150 and the outside wall of the anchor body 18 on two opposing sides. On a rounded side the polystyrene shell is in contact with the outside wall of the anchor body 18 which is round in this area while the remaining three flat sides follow the rectangular internal contour of the sleeve 150. Due to this design, the cavity between the inside wall of the sleeve 150 and the outside wall of the anchor body is filled essentially by the two deformable elements 152.

The anchor body 18 is flattened onto opposing sides in this area as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The anchor body 18 lies directly on the inside wall of the sleeve 150 in the flattened areas 154. This design creates a twist-proof mechanism for the anchor body 18 which cannot be twisted with respect to the sleeve 150 and also for the sleeve 150 which cannot be twisted with respect to the surrounding material of the second concrete part 12. The second deformable elements 152 therefore act in only one direction in space so that a dynamic force pickup and an equalization of a movement are possible only in this direction.

The sleeve 150 has a shoulder 156 facing radially inward as shown in FIG. 3. The sleeve 150 is securely connected to the anchor body 18 in the axial direction A by means of a screw 160 screwed into a blind hole 158. The required lateral play for deformation of the deformable elements 152 is achieved by using a washer 162.

The cap 126 in this embodiment is inserted into a section of the sleeve 150 protruding axially beyond the shoulder 156, wherein the deformable element 128, here in the form of an O-ring, is clamped between the cover of the cap 126 and the axially upper edge of the sleeve 150.

The peripheral wall of the cap 126 has a plurality of clamping strips such as those known from traditional rubber stoppers. In this example the inside of the sleeve 150 has a grooved structure in the top region axially into which the clamping strips 164 can engage. However, the inside of the sleeve 150 may also be designed to be smooth.

First, a blind hole 70 is created in the lower concrete part 10 and a through-hole 72 is created in the second concrete part 12 to join the two concrete parts 10, 12. The through-opening 72 is designed so that it becomes wider toward the top, i.e., between the first concrete part and the surface of the second concrete part facing away from the former, namely in the form of a cone in this example.

The compound anchor 16 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) is inserted into the blind hole 70 in such a way that the first section 30 of the anchor body 18 is accommodated therein. The first section 30 is glued or mortared into the blind hole 70.

Alternatively it is also possible to produce the blind hole 70 by the fact that the first section 30 of the compound anchor 16 is concreted in place in the fabrication of the concrete part 10.

The second section 32 protrudes into the through-opening 72. The through-opening 72 is then filled with a suitable cement, mortar, adhesive or concrete, thus yielding a form-fitting connection between the second section 32 of the compound anchor 16 and the second concrete part 12. This situation is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. The compensator component 24 is completely surrounded here by filling material in the through-opening 72 so that a movement of the second concrete part 12 is transferred to the compound anchor 16 because the second concrete part 12 rests so to speak on the compensator component 24 of the compound anchor 16 that is used. The connection between the filling material in the through-opening 72 and the anchor body 18 is preferably such that an axial movement of the second concrete part 12 with respect to the anchor body 18 is possible.

Additional parts, indicated here as an additional layer 74 may be provided between the two concrete parts 10, 12.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show the connecting method described here for a compound anchor 116 according to the second embodiment. The method steps here are the same as those described above which is why they will not be detailed here again. Twisting of the compound anchor 116 in the concrete parts 10, 12 is prevented by the form-fitting connection of the filling material in the through-opening 72 with the sleeve 150 (see FIG. 8). The alignment of the compound anchor 116 is defined firmly and unambiguously by the joining process.

FIG. 9 shows a variant of the compensator component 124 in which the first deformable element 128′ is formed by a flat layer of a deformable material, for example, a polystyrene foam which sits on the upper end 22 of the anchor body 18. 

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. A compound anchor for joining concrete parts, comprising: a rod-shaped anchor body with a first section and a second section; and a compensator component having a deformable element, wherein the compensator component is disposed on the second section of the anchor body and wherein the compensator component is axially movable relative to the anchor body; wherein the first section of the anchor body is accommodatable in a first concrete part and the second section having the compensator component is accommodatable in a second concrete part.
 13. The compound anchor according to claim 12, wherein the deformable element is elastically deformable.
 14. The compound anchor according to claim 12, wherein the compensator component is disposed on an end section of the anchor body.
 15. The compound anchor according to claim 14, wherein the compensator component includes a cap which is placed on the end section of the anchor body.
 16. The compound anchor according to claim 15, wherein the cap is plastic in at least some sections.
 17. The compound anchor according to claim 12, wherein the compensator component is attached to the anchor body.
 18. The compound anchor according to claim 12, wherein the compensator component includes a sleeve which surrounds the second section of the anchor body in a circumferential direction and wherein the deformable element is disposed between the anchor body and an inside of the sleeve.
 19. The compound anchor according to claim 18, wherein the compensator component and the anchor body have a twist-proof mechanism.
 20. The compound anchor according to claim 19, wherein the twist-proof mechanism is two opposing flattened regions of the anchor body which are in contact with flat regions on the inside of the sleeve.
 21. The compound anchor according to claim 12, wherein the compensator component includes a cap and a sleeve and wherein the cap is attached to the sleeve.
 22. A method for joining concrete parts, comprising the steps of: forming a blind hole in a first concrete part; forming a through-opening in a second concrete part, wherein the through-opening becomes wider in an axial direction; introducing a compound anchor into the blind hole and the through-opening such that a first section of an anchor body of the compound anchor is secured in the blind hole and a second section of the anchor body having a compensator component is in the through-opening, wherein the compensator component has a deformable element and wherein the compensator component is axially movable relative to the anchor body; and filling the through-opening with a cement such that the second section of the anchor body is secured in the second concrete part. 